During Tuesday’s session, Democrats aimed to counter Republicans’ focus on special counsel Robert Hur’s remarks about President Biden’s memory by highlighting instances of former President Trump’s verbal blunders and memory lapses.
House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) initiated the hearing with a compilation of past Trump statements, showcasing instances where he appeared to mistake Biden for former President Obama, confused Nancy Pelosi with Nikki Haley, and misidentified Viktor Orbán as the president of Turkey. Nadler criticized Trump, labeling him as unfit for office and incapable of evading criminal responsibility.
Following Nadler’s lead, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) presented a series of video clips displaying Trump’s speech stumbles during his presidency and campaign rallies. Similarly, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) utilized video evidence to counter claims about Biden’s memory, focusing on Trump’s own lapses during depositions.
One highlighted clip featured Trump struggling to recall specific dates regarding his marriages, while in another, he admitted not remembering the name of an associate. Scanlon highlighted instances where Trump claimed memory loss during legal proceedings, including during a lawsuit over Trump University and questioning by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Hur’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee primarily centered on his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents. Although Hur concluded that no charges were warranted against Biden, his report attracted attention for repeatedly questioning the president’s memory and ability to recall details.
Republicans seized on these descriptions to argue that Biden received leniency due to his purported memory issues, using Hur’s report to bolster their claims during the reelection campaign.
During the hearing, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) criticized Hur’s approach, suggesting it established a precedent where individuals could excuse mishandling classified information by attributing it to age-related memory decline.
In response, Hur clarified that his intention was not to set any legal precedent but to assess specific evidence related to Biden’s case and make a judgment based on it.
The Democrats’ strategy aimed to shift the focus from Biden’s alleged memory lapses to Trump’s own documented instances, challenging Republican assertions about Biden’s fitness for office.